Ashling Murphy was a 23-year-old primary school teacher, traditional Irish musician, and camogie player from Blue Ball, County Offaly. She had recently begun a full-time teaching post at Scoil Naomh Colmcille in Durrow. On 12 January 2022, after finishing work, Murphy drove to a car park near the Grand Canal in Tullamore and set out on a walk along the towpath. Geolocation data from her phone and fitness tracker traced her east to Digby Bridge and back before her movement stopped abruptly. Two passing joggers heard sounds from an adjacent ditch, saw a man crouched over a woman, and ran for help. Murphy was found fatally injured in the ditch a short time later. A postmortem examination found she had been stabbed 11 times in the neck and died of cardio-respiratory arrest from acute blood loss.
Gardaí, led by Detective Superintendent Pat O'Callaghan and Detective Inspector Brian Farrell, launched a large investigation from Tullamore Garda Station, reviewing tens of thousands of hours of CCTV footage and forensic evidence including a mountain bike found near the towpath. A man detained shortly after the killing was released without charge the next day. On 13 January, Gardaí investigating an unrelated Dublin report encountered Jozef Puška, a Slovak national living near Tullamore, with self-inflicted stab wounds and inconsistent accounts of his movements. Officers linked him to the Tullamore area, and in a hospital interview on 14 January he confessed to killing Murphy. Forensic testing matched a fingerprint on a recovered bicycle to Puška and found his DNA under Murphy's fingernails. He was discharged from hospital and arrested on 18 January, then charged with her murder the next day.
Puška's trial opened at the Central Criminal Court on 16 October 2023. He pleaded not guilty, testifying that an unidentified masked man had attacked them both; prosecutors said this was contradicted by CCTV, forensic, and eyewitness evidence. On 9 November 2023, a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict after roughly two hours of deliberation. On 17 November 2023, Mr. Justice Tony Hunt sentenced Puška to mandatory life imprisonment; he will be eligible for parole after 12 years. No motive was proven at trial; Gardaí said Puška had messaged women via dating apps beforehand and may have targeted her for sexual assault. Puška was granted legal aid to appeal his conviction in April 2024; the appeal was delayed and rescheduled to begin 15 July 2026.
In June 2023, Gardaí arrested Puška's wife, his two brothers, and their wives on charges connected to the murder investigation. At a separate trial that opened in May 2025, a jury convicted his brothers, Marek Puška and Ľubomír Puška Jr., of withholding information, and their wives, Jozefína Grundzová and Viera Gažiová, of destroying evidence by burning Puška's bloodstained clothing; his wife, Lucia Ištóková, had pleaded guilty to withholding information. In October 2025, the court sentenced Marek Puška and Ľubomír Puška Jr. to 30 months' imprisonment, Gažiová to 24 months, Grundzová to 21 months, and Ištóková to 20 months, citing mitigating circumstances.
Murphy's death prompted vigils nationwide and abroad and renewed public debate over violence against women; the Irish government accelerated funding for a national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence. Her family established a memorial fund supporting traditional Irish arts, and Mary Immaculate College and the Camogie Association created scholarships and trophies in her name. A permanent memorial stands at the site of her death in Tullamore. Murphy's boyfriend, Ryan Casey, sued the BBC for defamation over comments about his victim impact statement in a 2023 broadcast; the case was settled out of court in July 2025.
Grand Canal towpath, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1998-07-06
Ashling Murphy is born near Blue Ball, County Offaly, Ireland.
2022-01-12
Murphy is attacked and fatally injured while walking on the Grand Canal towpath near Tullamore, after finishing work at Scoil Naomh Colmcille primary school.
2022-01-13
A state pathologist conducts a postmortem examination; Gardaí encounter Jozef Puška, a Slovak national with unexplained stab wounds, while investigating an unrelated report in Dublin.
2022-01-14
During a hospital interview, Puška confesses to Gardaí that he killed Murphy.
2022-01-18
Puška is discharged from hospital and arrested; Murphy's funeral Mass is held at St. Brigid's Church, Mountbolus.
2022-01-19
Puška is formally charged with Murphy's murder and remanded in custody.
2023-06-13
Gardaí arrest Puška's wife, his two brothers, and their wives on charges connected to obstructing the murder investigation.
2023-10-16
Puška's trial for Murphy's murder opens at the Central Criminal Court.
2023-11-09
A jury returns a unanimous verdict finding Puška guilty of Murphy's murder.
2023-11-17
Puška is sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment, with parole eligibility after 12 years.
2024-04
Puška is granted legal aid to appeal his conviction.
2024-08
Ryan Casey, Murphy's boyfriend, files a defamation lawsuit against the BBC over comments made about his victim impact statement.
2025-05-20
The trial of Puška's brothers and their wives, on charges of withholding information and destroying evidence, opens at the Central Criminal Court.
2025-06-17
A jury convicts Marek Puška and Ľubomír Puška Jr. of withholding information, and Jozefína Grundzová and Viera Gažiová of destroying evidence.
2025-07
The BBC settles Casey's defamation case out of court.
2025-10-22
The court sentences the four family members to custodial terms ranging from 20 to 30 months.
2026-07-15
Puška's appeal against his conviction is scheduled to begin, after being rescheduled from an earlier date.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Truly Criminal / 31 min
A Crime That Shattered Ireland: The Harrowing Case Of Ashling Murphy
People
Ľubomír Puška Jr.
CONVICTED
Jozef Puška's brother; convicted on 17 June 2025 of withholding information from the murder investigation and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment.
Pat O'Callaghan
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Detective Superintendent who jointly led the Garda murder investigation from Tullamore Garda Station.
Jozef Puška
CONVICTED
Convicted of Ashling Murphy's murder on 9 November 2023 and sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment; appeal against the conviction is pending.
Viera Gažiová
CONVICTED
Wife of Marek Puška; convicted on 17 June 2025 of destroying evidence by burning bloodstained clothing, and sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment.
Lucia Ištóková
CONVICTED
Jozef Puška's wife; pleaded guilty before trial to withholding information from the murder investigation, and was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment.
Marek Puška
CONVICTED
Jozef Puška's brother; convicted on 17 June 2025 of withholding information from the murder investigation and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment.
Jozefína Grundzová
CONVICTED
Wife of Ľubomír Puška Jr.; convicted on 17 June 2025 of destroying evidence by burning bloodstained clothing, and sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment.
Ashling Murphy
VICTIM
23-year-old primary school teacher, traditional musician, and camogie player; killed while walking along the Grand Canal towpath near Tullamore on 12 January 2022.
Brian Farrell
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Detective Inspector who jointly led the Garda murder investigation from Tullamore Garda Station.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old primary school teacher and traditional musician, was fatally stabbed while walking along the Grand Canal towpath in Tullamore, Ireland, on 12 January 2022. Jozef Puška was convicted of her murder in November 2023 and sentenced to life imprisonment; five of his family members were later convicted of withholding information or destroying evidence connected to the investigation.
Where did the murder happen?
Grand Canal towpath, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland.
Who was convicted?
Ľubomír Puška Jr. (Jozef Puška's brother; convicted on 17 June 2025 of withholding information from the murder investigation and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment.), Jozef Puška (Convicted of Ashling Murphy's murder on 9 November 2023 and sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment; appeal against the conviction is pending.), Viera Gažiová (Wife of Marek Puška; convicted on 17 June 2025 of destroying evidence by burning bloodstained clothing, and sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment.), Lucia Ištóková (Jozef Puška's wife; pleaded guilty before trial to withholding information from the murder investigation, and was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment.), Marek Puška (Jozef Puška's brother; convicted on 17 June 2025 of withholding information from the murder investigation and sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment.), and Jozefína Grundzová (Wife of Ľubomír Puška Jr.; convicted on 17 June 2025 of destroying evidence by burning bloodstained clothing, and sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment.).
